Praneeta Prakash 
[File Photo]
The Consumer Council of Fiji has expressed strong support for the establishment of the National Taskforce on Food Safety, a move welcomed as a vital response to escalating concerns in the industry.
Chief Executive Seema Shandil emphasized the timeliness of the initiative, highlighting the Council’s own data revealing over 1,200 complaints related to food and beverages in just the past three years.
” These complaints encompass a wide range of issues, including unhygienic retail practices, the presence of food, I’m sorry, the presence of pests in food, improper food handling, tempering expiry dates, or selling of products that have already expired. And there are many more. So the council has previously emphasized the need for the government’s attention on the quality of imported media as well.”
Shandil says the formation of the task force is a step in the right direction.
“The task force will address crucial aspects such as identifying issues related to food and food products and identifying the intervention and activities to improve food safety practices in Fiji. It will also look at how it can strengthen the enforcement strategy for food and food products.”
In response to the growing number of complaints, regulatory bodies and health authorities are intensifying their efforts to monitor and enforce compliance within the food industry.
